The Demon Lords-Chapter 590 - 87: Street_1
The affairs of some people are only heard in the gossip of the streets, because the streets, by their very nature, are not a place of decorum. Imagine a high minister in the imperial court speaking of 'street rumors'—wouldn't that be a grand joke?
But in any group, if one reaches the pinnacle, their influence will break out of their circle.
The Four Great Swordsmen—even the most 'obscure' among them, the swordsmith of Chu State—still championed his chosen prince, becoming a banner for his faction.
Li Liangshen is a given; he is, after all, the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Army.
Baili Sword once escorted Master Zang thousands of miles to Yanjing to sever Great Yan's dragon vein, and later appeared outside the imperial capital.
As for the Sword Saint of Jin State, because his surname is Yu, regardless of how meager his hand might seem, he has ultimately earned a seat at the table. To say nothing else, the battle outside the capital city of Jin against Lord Jingnan of Great Yan was enough to prove his influence.
It's unrealistic for such top-tier martial artists to decide a nation's destiny, but no one would doubt their ability to decide the fate of a mere post station.
Iron Chain Man was a long-famed elder of the streets, skilled in hidden weapons. But after an exchange with the Sword Saint, having clearly fallen into a disadvantage, his confidence was obviously shattered.
The Sword Saint hadn't drawn his sword, yet he had nearly killed him. If the Sword Saint were to truly draw his sword, how could he possibly survive? Whether he draws his sword or not has nothing to do with whether he actually wears that Longyuan at his waist!
"Sword Saint, are you also interested in the imperial heir of Chu State? If you are willing to enter Chu, this old one will naturally kneel to welcome you!"
Jin State has fallen. The Helian and Wenren families were the first to be destroyed. The Situ Family is in dire peril under the wild people's offensive. The capital city region has been overrun by the Yan Army, and Emperor Jin and the Empress Dowager have been escorted to Yanjing. In such a situation, if the Sword Saint chose not to remain in the Jin land and instead went to the Chu region, it would naturally be a great boon for Chu State.
After all, even the people of Chu themselves feel that their own member of the Four Great Swordsmen, that swordsmith, is a bit... 'underwhelming'.
"The imperial heir of Chu State?"
Hearing this, the Sword Saint suddenly felt like laughing. In fact, he didn't quite manage to hold it back, and a smile indeed appeared on his face.
Iron Chain Man thought the Sword Saint was moved. Perhaps the reason he had taken this imperial heir was precisely to gain entry into Chu.
In reality, the Sword Saint was just muttering to himself in a low voice, "So, was he cuckolded, or did he cuckold someone else?"
Then, the Sword Saint frowned slightly. "'No, that doesn't add up.'"
At this moment, Ding Heng, who was holding the child nearby, was already astonished when he saw the swordsman force Iron Chain Man back with just a few chopsticks. When he heard the swordsman's identity from Iron Chain Man's mouth, he was so scared his soul nearly flew to heaven. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Ding Heng was a Jin person. For the streets of Jin State, the Sword Saint was a true peak. To a certain extent, he represented the face of the entire street community of the Three Jin.
Yes, although there were rumors that Yan State's Southern Marquis had defeated the Sword Saint, that Southern Marquis was, firstly, no pushover, his martial realm frighteningly high. Secondly, with Jin State shattered, for the Sword Saint, a man of the streets, to be defeated by a Marshal commanding a large army—what did that count for?
Although the version spread by the Yan people was that their Lord defeated the Sword Saint in a martial artist's duel, how many actually believed it?
Ding Heng silently offered the child in his arms.
Recalling how he had previously, in such a death-courting manner, snatched the child from the Sword Saint's hands and even taunted him, Ding Heng felt the blood in his veins begin to freeze.
Who would have thought, the Sword Saint didn't reach out to take the child, but instead said, "'Keep holding him.'"
"'Ah?' Ding Heng was somewhat bewildered."
"'This little rascal only stops crying when you hold him.'"
"..." Ding Heng was speechless.
To think that he, Ding Heng, a reputable figure in the street community of the Three Jin, had been reduced to a child-minding servant. Yet, not only did Ding Heng not dare to refuse, but shamefully, a sense of gratification from this 'acknowledgment' even welled up within him.
At this moment, the black-clad men on the periphery charged over again. They seemed to have sensed that the situation was not right. Originally, they might have thought that with their group, they could wipe out everything in the post station. Now, realizing they had been too naive, they began to settle for the next best thing: just snatching the child.
The Sword Saint pointed his fingers forward, Sword Energy flying horizontally. The two black-clad men who had just rushed over were directly swept away. Then, with a horizontal cut, a formidable Sword Energy directly severed the neck of a black-clad man in front of him, yet not a single drop of blood splattered.
Then, the Sword Saint's figure began to roam, heading straight for Cui Linfeng, who had earlier said she would nurse the child. He extended his palm, and a longsword from the hand of a nearby corpse flew into his grasp.
In a flash of sword light, the two black-clad men entangled with Cui Linfeng were instantly slain. There was no overwhelming aura, only sharpness and decisiveness.
Cui Linfeng looked at the Sword Saint, somewhat dazed.
The Sword Saint looked at her calmly and said, "'Follow me.'"
Cui Linfeng, after all, was a woman who held a position of authority in her stockade and had seen her share of storms. But for some reason, under this man's gaze, she couldn't muster any thought of resistance and just nodded her head as if bewitched.
Then, the Sword Saint, one man and one sword, began to clear the way.
The black-clad men rushed forward, but each one who came was slain. The other people from the streets weren't so foolhardy, especially when they saw Ding Heng and Cui Linfeng obediently following behind the swordsman. How could those with sharp eyes not realize that a true dragon had emerged from shallow waters!
Observing his swordsmanship—though lacking grand, earth-shattering displays—the efficiency with which each simple strike took a life allowed those with keen perception to vaguely guess the swordsman's identity. Naturally, they dared not step forward recklessly.
The melee, surprisingly, ended in this fashion. The remaining twenty-odd black-clad men began to focus their attacks on the Sword Saint.
Iron Chain Man reached out and pulled the chopsticks from his neck. The sensation was truly like eating mint in high summer; with each breath, a chilling coolness spread.
Watching the sword-light dance around that man, Iron Chain Man extinguished any thought of further contending for the child. That person's level was already beyond what he could challenge. Unless a Third Rank Grandmaster appeared—and even if one did—it wasn't very realistic to expect to block a swordsman one-on-one in this situation.
On the second-floor railing, the blind man and the little girl were already standing.
The little girl smacked her lips and shouted down to the Sword Saint below, "'Uncle, do you need me to help you take care of the baby or not!'"
The blind man beside her taunted, "'Do you have milk?'"
The little girl's sore spot was hit. She turned her head, puffed up with anger, and glared at the blind man, scolding, "'You can't even see, so how do you know that I, your young lady, don't have any!'"
The black-clad men below began to collapse. It wasn't that they feared death; they could endure even the most brutal slaughters. But this kind of death, purely serving as cannon fodder, was unbearable even for them as military men. Especially after one who seemed to be their leader was slain by a single sword strike, the remaining black-clad men exchanged glances and all withdrew from the post station.
The remaining people from the streets looked at me, and I looked at you. Some wanted to go up and build connections but didn't dare. Some wanted to curry favor but feared they'd offer it to the wrong part of the horse and get kicked.
Only Ding Heng, holding the child, and Cui Linfeng, standing by his side, followed the Sword Saint out of the post station like servants.
Seeing the Sword Saint leaving, the little girl, in her haste, pulled a thin chain from her sleeve, tied it to a roof beam, and swung down.
Iron Chain Man slapped his palm, sending out a hidden force that restrained his granddaughter and pulled her back into his embrace.
"'Grandpa, I don't want to learn iron chains anymore! I want to learn the sword! I want to learn the sword!'"
WHAP!
Iron Chain Man gave his disobedient granddaughter a slap on the bottom and cursed, "'You ungrateful turncoat!'"
「...」
At the entrance of the post station, a carriage was commandeered without asking.
The Sword Saint drove the carriage. Inside, Ding Heng held the baby, who was nursing from Cui Linfeng.
They were all people of the streets and long past their youth. Thus, the scene inside the carriage wasn't particularly awkward for anyone.
One was the nanny, the other the wet nurse; neither could look down on the other.
Cui Linfeng, being a woman, was more meticulous in her thoughts. Her gaze swept out the carriage window from the corner of her eye, and she silently mouthed to Ding Heng, "'Northeast.'"
The carriage was heading northeast.
If it were simply heading east, that would be understandable. After all, the South Gate pass was heavily garrisoned by the Yan Army, with numerous military camps along the route. It wasn't appropriate to pass through the territories of small states there to enter Chu. Heading east to the Situ Family's domain and then south into Chu would be more prudent.
But this carriage was specifically heading northeast, which was somewhat baffling.
Just then, a horse galloped out from the direction of the post station.
The black-clad men from before did not pursue, nor did anyone from the streets within the post station dare to follow. But one person had come.
The Sword Saint did not stop the carriage, allowing the rider to catch up and ride alongside. Who else could it be but the blind man?
The blind man, panting for breath, cupped his hands in a salute to the Sword Saint.
The Sword Saint paid him no mind.
The blind man, however, showed a warm smile and said, "'Sir, this humble one is willing to accompany you and serve by your side.'"
The blind man had figured it out. The Sword Saint had brought the child into the post station, perhaps initially because he was hungry. Then he suddenly discovered that although that fellow Ding Heng had a foul mouth, the child stopped crying when Ding Heng held him. So, the Sword Saint left with Ding Heng. As for Cui Linfeng, she was just there to be a wet nurse. The blind man wasn't sure if this "bastard" was truly *that person's* offspring, but inexplicably, he had a premonition. After all, such coincidences don't just happen in this world for no reason. Besides, how many babies in this world were worthy of the Sword Saint's "attention"? The street folk believed the talk about the Chu imperial heir, but in the blind man's mind, that was simply untenable. Quite simply, before that person truly ascended the Chu throne, he really wasn't qualified!
The Sword Saint glanced at the blind man and said, "'The wet nurse is here, the servant woman is here too. What do you think I'm still missing?'"
The blind man immediately said with great seriousness, "'You're still missing an early childhood educator!'"
